Musa bin Ismail and Dawud bin Shabib narrated to us, both saying: Hammad narrated to us, from Ali bin Zaid, from Salamah bin Muhammad bin Ammar bin Yasir, and Musa said from his father - while Dawud said from Ammar bin Yasir - that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nose are part of the Fitrah." He mentioned something similar, but did not mention "letting the beard grow," and added: "and circumcision." He also said: "and sprinkling water [to remove lingering drops of urine]," and did not mention "removing water," meaning cleaning oneself with water (Istinja). Abu Dawud said: Something similar was narrated from Ibn Abbas, who said: "Five, all of them are on the head," and mentioned parting the hair, but did not mention letting the beard grow. Abu Dawud said: Something similar to the hadith of Hammad was narrated by Talq bin Habib, Mujahid, and Bakr bin Abdullah al-Muzani as their own statements, and they did not mention letting the beard grow. In the hadith of Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abi Maryam, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, it includes: "and letting the beard grow." From Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, something similar, and he mentioned letting the beard grow and circumcision.
Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah) - Sunan Abi Dawud 54
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Five are from the natural disposition (fitrah): circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, trimming the mustache, plucking the armpit hair, and trimming the nails."
Commentary on the Variant Narrations
The scholars have reconciled these variant narrations by understanding that the essential acts of fitrah are established, while some narrations mention additional practices. The rinsing of mouth and snuffing water in the nose, though not mentioned in all versions, are confirmed as acts of purification in other authentic traditions.
The mention or omission of "letting the beard grow" in different chains indicates that while growing the beard is a confirmed Sunnah, some narrators focused specifically on purification aspects. Circumcision remains consistently mentioned across most narrations as a fundamental act of fitrah.
Legal Rulings Derived
The acts of fitrah are of varying legal classifications: circumcision is wajib (obligatory) for men according to the majority, while the other acts are emphasized Sunnah practices. The consistency in mentioning circumcision across narrations underscores its importance in Islamic law.
The differences in narration chains demonstrate the meticulous preservation of hadith, where scholars carefully noted even minor variations in wording while maintaining the core meaning of the prophetic teaching.